


Easter 1486

by MichisAccount



Category: 15th Century CE RPF, The Sunne in Splendour - Sharon Kay Penman, The White Queen (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-01
Updated: 2015-09-01
Packaged: 2018-04-18 12:37:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4706321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MichisAccount/pseuds/MichisAccount
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In early 1486, Francis Lovell made an unsuccessful attempt on Henry VII`s life. What would have happened had he succeeded? One-shot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Easter 1486

John was grumbling to himself as he walked towards his chapel. It was Holy Saturday, and he knew he would have to be at court again by the time night broke, to hear mass with the queen his cousin, the queen dowager and the king`s mother. There was nothing he wanted to do less – except perhaps celebrating the mass with King Henry, but he was thankfully on his progress through the country – but it could not be helped. He could not afford to raise any suspicion, and not appearing for the service would certainly do that. The preparations for the Easter festivities had been going on for a while at court, and John had no doubt they would be splendid. Elizabeth had even told him how glad she was that the weather promised to be so good, so that Henry`s first Easter as king would be wonderful and blessed with sun and warmth, even if he could not be in his capital and with his wife. John had not known what to say to that; he was fond enough of his cousin, but he was also wary of her. Her obvious affection for her husband, who John ardently wished was anywhere but on the throne of this country, had soured his fondness for her somewhat. He also suspected that she was slightly suspicious of him, made such seemingly innocent remarks to test him, for he knew it would be a mistake to underestimate her. However, his murmured reply about springtime being beautiful in general seemed to have satisfied her, and he had tried to avoid being drawn into any conversation that went beyond the formal courtesies with her again.

He had a bad feeling that this would be unavoidable during the Easter festivities, though. After all, he could hardly ignore the queen. Nor would it probably be any easier speaking with the queen dowager and the king`s mother. Both of them usually showed little more interest than was polite in him, enquiring after his family and, in the queen dowager`s case, asking for news about her niece his wife. This John was normally able to answer non-commitally and truthfully, by telling her what Margaret had written in her latest letters. However, during the Easter festivities, it was quite likely that she or the lady Margaret, the king`s mother, invited him for a conversation, either out of politeness or to gauge his reaction to everything at court.  
John was determined, though, that there would nothing suspicious be found in his behaviour, and he consoled himself with the thought that if he managed, it would be the last time. He did not intend to stay much longer at Henry`s court, and knew that if he appeared like a faithful subject during these festivities, it was likely he would be deemed unsuspicious for long enough to slip away from London, towards the nearest port to find a ship to take him to his aunt Margaret in Burgundy.

He had made those plans for a while, had even thought he would be able to make his way there before Easter, but rather unexpected events in the kingdom had prevented him. Having managed to plant a spy in the retinue Henry was travelling with, he had meant to make excuses for withdrawing from court as soon as he learnt Henry was far enough away and preferably somewhere where he was greeted cheerfully enough for him to let his guard down, but he had received no such news. Instead, soon after Henry had left the capital, tidings of a brewing rebellion had startled the court which had remained behind. John had not known whether to laugh when hearing about it, hearing that Francis, Viscount Lovell, had broken out of the sanctuary he had been staying in since Richard`s death, was trying to raise an army against Henry, or to curse because it crossed his plans. In the end, he had settled on simply waiting what happened.

It had turned out soon enough that despite the fact that Francis had had support by other men, their rebellion was not much of a danger, and the king`s uncle Jasper had easily been able to diffuse it. But Francis had escaped him, was still on the run, and the king`s men in the capital were on higher alert than they would have usually been, so that John had known he would have to stay over Easter if he wanted to seem inconspicious, even if he had not particularly liked the idea.

Since he knew, however, that he would never be able to focus on the fine thoughts he should focus on if he was to celebrate the Easter masses with the king`s immediate family, he had decided to go to his own chapel before departing to court, so as to pray there, and as he arrived in his chapel, he tried his best to think of nothing but the ressurection, of mercy and salvation.

He had not prayed for long, though, when sudden noise coming from the town startled him from his kneeling position, made him reach automatically for his dagger, and curse when he realised his scabbard was empty because he had laid down all weapons before entering the chapel. Something was distinctly wrong. The noise that came closer was not any ordinary commotion, of a crowd of poor people begging for charity on Easter, or a brawl. It were horses, many of them, riding high speed into the city. It were screams of people. This noise meant trouble.

He had barely finished this thought when he heard his name called, urgently, and when he turned, he spotted one of his servants running towards him. His face was pale, and he panted for breath as he spoke. “My lord, there is a messenger for you. He says – says it`s immensely important. I told him you were in prayer –“

“Lead me to him!“, John demanded, cutting across him. There was no time for niceties. Whatever had happened, it had to be very important. It took a bit to scare the population of London, but now it was clearly in turmoil. John could only just prevent himself from breaking into a run, but still he moved so fast the servant had trouble keeping up with him.

He was not surprised when his messenger turned out to be the man he had planted in King Henry`s retinue. He was drenched in sweat, his clothing muddy and a fine layer of dust seemed to cover him entirely, but beneath that his eyes were wide and his face terrified. For a wild moment, John wondered if the man meant to warn him that his plans to escape had been discovered, before he told himself that not only did this man not know anything about these plans, such a discovery would also hardly throw the whole city into chaos. “What happened?“, he asked curtly, shaking his head when the man rose, tried to bow. “Just tell me! What happened?“

“My lord“, his messenger gasped out. “The king is dead, my lord.“

“What?“ The words were out of John`s mouth before he could stop them, before he even understood what he was hearing. “The king –“ Then the meaning of it became clear, and for a moment he could only gape. “What – how?“

“In York, my lord.“ The man`s voice sounded steadier now that he had said the worst. “It was a surprise attack. The king`s bodyguards could not react quickly enough –“ He took a deep breath, then looked at John, who was watching him as stunned as those around him. “It was the Viscount Lovell, my lord. He had hidden in the crowd while the king gave a speech, and in an unguarded moment, simply ran at him.“ He shuddered. “It all happened so quickly, it was over before I could understand what was happening. The viscount was screaming something about your uncle, and while everyone was still too perplexed to react, he rammed his dagger into the king`s stomach.“ Looking pale, the messenger shook his head. “It was then that we understood what was happening, but it was too late. By the time the king`s bodyguards interfered, Viscount Lovell had stabbed him through the heart.“

This was met by complete silence, as John as much as his servants tried to take this in. The implications were momentous. The king was dead – his only heir an unborn child, possibly a girl – the country in unrest – the court unstable – and yet, when John found his voice to speak, his first question was: “Where is the Viscount Lovell now?“

“Also dead, my lord“, the man said. “It happened very quickly.“ “Executed?“, John asked, thinking vaguely and detachedly that this had been indeed quick, considering Francis had killed the king. His execution should have been a huge spectacle. But the messenger was shaking his head again. “There was no chance. The viscount fought fiercely when the king`s bodyguards tried to take him into custody. He was wielding his dagger, and injured several of them, and there was concern the crowd would be trying to help him.“

The way he said this made John think there had not only been concern, but that the crowd had actually helped Francis. But it was probably good if such words were not uttered yet in this household, for there were certain to be spies, and the situation had suddenly become very dangerous. If there was even the slightest suspicion on him while it was not clear what would happen now, he was as good as dead, too. So he tried to keep his voice even as he asked: “So what happened?“

“The viscount would have likely got away had the king`s men tried to take him prisoner“, the man said. “They had to kill him on the spot.“ He grimaced. “It was - I never want to see its like again. When they turned their swords against the viscount, when they stabbed him, he stopped fighting and smiled. He looked at the king`s body and smiled even as he himself died. Made no sound.“

John heard himself gasp, even as he struggled for words to say to that. The king was dead, his own future terribly uncertain, and all he could think of was Francis, smiling as he died because he had avenged Richard. “Requiescat in pace“, he murmured unwittingly, and only then realised what he had just said, hastened to add: “The king`s death – there must be masses read – I must instruct my chaplain – and then we must to court – the queen –“

He trailed off when he realised he had no idea how to address Elizabeth now. She had never been crowned, but her husband had been king, so she was the queen dowager. But could she be, if there was no current king to take over? If her unborn child was now –

Even in his shock, John could not help the thought that the only plausible candidate was himself. He had been Richard`s heir. He had the best claim, except for his unfortunate young cousin Edward, currently held in the Tower, and the boy was only eleven. But he would need to be removed from the Tower. There were so many problems now that the king was dead, but it was also an opportunity. John did not intend to be shifted into a passive position again as he had when his uncle had died. This time, he was in a position to act.

Excusing himself to go speak to his chaplain after giving orders to prepare for immediate departure to court, John returned to his chapel. He had not lied; he did mean to speak to his chaplain, for the man was also a trusted confidant, a rather young man himself with a sense of humour. He had been one of the very few who knew about his plans to escape to Burgundy, and at the moment the only of his men who could move without exciting suspicion. John quickly told him what had happened, then gave him orders. “Have word sent to my parents immediately. See to it we can gather soldiers. Thomas Howard and my young cousin of Warwick must be freed from the Tower. Wait for a while, then send men to free them with the news that I have received permission to do so from court. Have them brought here if necessary. This manor must be guarded, and those of the king`s men watched. Send news to my Aunt of Burgundy. And find as many men ready to fight for Suffolk and Lincoln as you can. We will need them.“

Thankfully, his chaplain barely asked questions, so that John returned to his household without any undue delays, and they soon could leave for court. Night had fallen by the tie they departed, but even though curfew was approaching, it was clear that this night, there would be no notice taken. John did not think the population had any idea what had really happened yet, but the arrival of clearly shocked and terrified royal messengers had clearly been a shock. Coupled with the rumours of rebellion that had been circulating fow a while now, John thought that some people had probably an inkling of what was going on.

The court, when they arrived, was predictably a mess. Servants were openly weeping, visitors and nobles who had arrived like John himself were standing around, looking awkward. Several messengers were bustling around, and no one seemed to know what to do. The queen – queen dowager – was standing next to her mother and mother-in-law, her expression stony. Wildly, it occured to John she had not even had time to dress in mourning – her dress was a bright one she had undoubtedly chosen for the Easter festivities.

The king`s mother had a hand on her arm, on though she was very pale, her look was entirely alert. Seeing her, John felt a mixture of pity and admiration. This woman had just lost her only son, but she made no sign of collapsing, instead offering support to Elizabeth. Then he thought of his grandmother, the lady Cecily, and wondered how she would feel when she heard the news. Would she feel content, or would she be shocked, disapprove of Francis`s revenge? Had she reacted similarly to the lady Margaret when she had heard about Richard`s death? But the news had not come so surprising –  
But of the three women, it was his uncle Edward`s widow, Elizabeth`s mother, who spoke to greet him. “I expected you to come.“ John nodded. “I am very sorry –“

“We don`t need your being sorry“, Elizabeth said, next to her mother. Her voice was curiously emotionless. “We need your support. Your support for my son, my Henry`s heir.“ John only nodded. He would not get goaded into swearing something he had no intention to keep, but he also did not know what to say to a pregnant bereaved woman. “Have you had any more news?“, he therefore asked. “Needing support –“

“York is in open rebellion“, Elizabeth`s mother said. Her tone was matter-of-fact, but a slight tremor was in her voice, and again John felt some pity. “They have taken Lovell`s body into the minster and refuse to let any of the king`s men enter. There is no chance to search him, to see if there are signs he was in contact with other rebels still endangering my daughter, much less to put his head over Micklegate Bar, where the traitor belongs.“

John bit his lip, said nothing, because he knew that if he spoke now, he would betray himself. Betray the fact he was so glad Francis was lying in a cathedral now, that York was now able to once more show their loyalty to his uncle. Instead, he just stood, waiting if one of the women meant to say anything more. When neither did, he finally cleared his throat. “Has word been sent to the Duke Jasper –“

“Of course“, the lady Margaret said, speaking for the first time. She sounded entirely steady, and again John felt admiration. “He is on his way here, and the Earl of Oxford is marching on York.“ She fixed him with a sharp look, and John wondered if she suspected what he was thinking. “I would prefer for them both to be here, but York will not go unpunished. We need the viscount`s body, and Jasper will see to it my daughter and her child, the new king, are safe.“

John nodded thoughtfully. Lady Margaret was entirely in control, even despite the horrible circumstances. It would not be easy to fool her, and he was even sorry he had to do so. She was a formidable and marvellous woman, and it seemed not right to cause her more worries after the blow she had suffered. But his conscience only pricked him for a moment, then he thought of his grandmother again, thought of what Henry had done to her son. He thought of Francis, willingly facing death so Richard`s murderer died with him.

“He shall need support“, he said after a moment. “I will mobilise my troops to meet his, if you will tell me where.“ And to fight him, he thought, but did not say. But perhaps his thoughts showed on his face, for the queen`s mother gave him a sharp look. “We can trust no one at the moment“, she said, which John thought to be a rather fine description of the fact he was under suspicion without insulting him should he not be planning anything. “If you send your troops, for which we should be thankful, I hope you will do us the honour of staying with us, so you shall be here should – something else happen.“

John suppressed a sardonical smile. These women were clever indeed. Should his army do something against Duke Jasper while he was still in their presence, he would immediately suffer the consequences. But he did not worry. If he could stall them a bit, Howard and Warwick would be out of the Tower and in his keeping, and their affinity on his side. He did not doubt Howard would side with him, but the queen and her women would need to be distracted. If this was achieved by them worrying about the troops he sent to meet Duke Jasper, all the better.

“I will stay here“, he said quietly, and the lady Margaret nodded. “We do appreciate your support“, she said, despite her voice still sounding slightly suspicious. “When we receive a message from my brother Jasper, I shall tell him your troops will arrive to support him.“

John nodded, but said nothing. He would have to wait now. Until he received news that Thomas Howard was free and his men were on their way to Jasper Tudor, he had to stay and pretend he was sorry and meant to support Henry`s unborn heir.

As he settled down to do so, he thought of his uncle Richard, thought of him meeting the queen dowager`s brother after Edward`s death, and for the first time appreciated how difficult it must have been for him to keep up a pretence of cordiality despite already knowing about their plotting.

Then he thought again of Francis, whose body lay guarded in a cathedral, and he determined that if he was to succeed, he would get a burial of honour, as would his uncle get. And Henry would get a funeral as well, if not as grand a one. John felt no remorse for his death, but this he would do, for lady Margaret and Elizabeth if for no one else.

**Author's Note:**

> In 1486, Francis Lovell really did make an attempt on Henry VII`s life while he was in York. He was thwarted by the Earl of Northumberland, and managed to flee afterwards. It is unlikely he could have managed to flee had he succeeded in killing Henry VII.  
> When exactly this attempt took place is unclear; some sources say it was on St. George`s Day, that is, the 23rd April. However, those same sources also say the rebellion that preceeded it was defused when Henry entered York at Easter. Since Easter was almost a month before St. George`s Day that year and Henry did not stay in York a whole month, one of the two dates has to be wrong.  
> Henry would not have travelled directly on Easter Sunday, but would have arrived a bit earlier.
> 
> As usual, this is tagged "The Sunne in Splendour" and "The White Queen" because it is based on the actual historical persons and their actions these two works are also based on and there are few other fandoms for that, not because it is inspired by them.


End file.
